“My dad was a refugee when he first came to America, so it’s actually very close to home for my sister and brother and me,” she said, referring to President Donald Trump’s travel ban on Muslims from several countries.

Bella’s father, Mohamed Hadid, a real estate mogul, was born in Israel and lived in Syria and then Lebanon, before immigrating to the U.S. at the age of 14, Page Sixreports. (Syria is included on the list of nations banned by Trump’s executive order.)

The supermodel also explained how her father’s heritage factored into her upbringing.

“He was always religious, and he always prayed with us,” she said, adding, “I am proud to be a Muslim.”

Bella hasn’t publicly confirmed her religion until now (nor has sister Gigi or brother Anwar) but it's clearly a subject close to her heart. Both Bella and Gigi were spotted at a New York City protest condemning the travel ban. They, alongside mother Yolanda Hadid, carried a poster reading, “We are all Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, Christians, Jews.”

Following the march, Bella spoke with Elle about her experience at the protest and highlighted her “diverse background.” (Her mother is from the Netherlands.)

“I’ve had incredible experiences all over the world … and I’ve learned that we’re all just people, and we all deserve respect and kindness. We shouldn’t treat people as if they don’t deserve kindness just because of their ethnicities. It’s just not right. And that message—to be compassionate whenever possible—that’s so important to me.”

In Porter—where Bella appears on the cover makeup-free—she also opens up about feeling like she has to compete with her sister’s wild success, not worrying about guys, and how the spotlight has affected her.

“It gets really overwhelming,” she says. “You feel really overexposed and you don’t want to see anybody.... I just want to be in my apartment alone and kind of retreat and be centered again.”